Bacik slams Government failure on climate

Labour leader Ivana Bacik TD today challenged the Government on its failure to take climate change seriously, during Leader’s Questions in the Dáil. Citing stark new research from Met Éireann and Maynooth University confirming record high temperatures this summer, Deputy Bacik warned that Government inaction is putting households, communities, and Ireland’s international obligations at risk. She called for urgent investment in renewables, active travel, retrofitting, and energy security in the upcoming Budget.

Deputy Bacik said:

“This week’s research from Met Éireann and Maynooth University gives a stark warning. Average night-time temperatures during the summer of 2025 have broken all previous records. It is yet another reminder that climate change is not a distant threat – it is here, now, and impacting people’s lives.

“We see catastrophic effects of climate change across the globe – from forest fires to floods – yet instead of urgency, this Government is sliding backwards. Hard-pressed households are already struggling with energy costs. Three-hundred-thousand households are in arrears on their electricity bills, with no sign of a winter moratorium on disconnections. Families hit by freak weather events like Storm Eowyn are still grappling with repair costs. And retrofitting remains out of reach for too many, with waiting lists for the Warmer Homes Scheme stretching to nearly two years.

“Government policy is failing on every front. Funds for cycling and public transport have been slashed in favour of road building. The green light has been given for LNG at the very moment Ireland faces €26 billion in EU fines for missing legally binding climate targets. Data centres continue to consume vast amounts of energy, pushing up emissions and household bills. Meanwhile, the Fuel Allowance rate has been frozen since 2022, leaving thousands excluded from the support they need.

“Minister O’Callaghan’s response in the Dáil today was deeply disappointing. He sidestepped the key issues, deflecting by saying emissions have fallen over three decades – but Ireland has not met its targets. This is the same approach we saw when his Fianna Fáil colleague Darragh O’Brien was Housing Minister. Fianna Fáil has form in setting goals it cannot deliver.

“Your direction of travel is all wrong. Instead of clinging to missed targets and failed policies, we should be exploiting Ireland’s abundant renewable resources. That means investing properly in offshore wind, battery storage, and European interconnectors. It means district heating schemes to lower bills, and cycling and public transport infrastructure to give people real alternatives. These are the measures that will cut emissions, reduce energy costs, and make our communities safer.

“Fianna Fáil has been complicit in developing rhetoric that suggests climate action will leave people worse off. The truth is the opposite: failing to act leaves bills higher, homes colder, and households more insecure. We cannot afford another Budget that dodges these realities.

“In the upcoming Budget, I am calling on Government to commit to fixing the Warmer Homes Scheme, to increase the Fuel Allowance, to invest in renewables and energy security, and to put serious resources into active travel and public transport. Anything less is a conscious failure of political will.”